Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Editor’s letter

With a human population of over 1.3 billion — many

Sandun, Unawatuna

What’s new // Do it now // Food // On the trail //

Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Every morning on the vast and bustling Mekong Delta

FOREST OF DEAN

The forest’s rural beauty has inspired storytellers for generations, but past the gnarled branches is a more poignant side to this English woodland

BEYOND WORDS

The American Writers Museum doesn’t just celebrate the nation’s literary titans, it reveals how stories help to define us and our place in the world

The Blog BARBECUE, BEER & BUDDY HOLLY

Most visitors come to Lubbock to pay homage to its most famous son, but the city itself is as much of a star

Editors’ picks

We’ve been here and we’ve been there, and our team have found a few things we thought we’d share

Sweet dreams

Forget flights, it’s time to get on board and bed down on the UK’s revamped sleeper trains

Deep dive

Take the plunge and get up close to the islands’ historical and natural wonders

23HOT HOOD

Lisbon’s Príncipe Real, a once overlooked hilltop district, is now stealing the show

LEAP OF FAITH

Scenic flights may offer incredible views of the world, but jumping out of a plane is an experience like no other

Wales

From Pembrokeshire to Powys, chef Gareth Ward of Ynyshir restaurant shares his favourite places to eat — and produce to try

Charente

From oyster farms to sweeping beaches, take in this stretch of French coast on two wheels Words: Charlotte Wigram-Evans

CHIANG MAI

Once a backpacker’s jumping off point, the Thai city’s new rooms make it well worth revisiting

Bump in the night

This October halfterm, discover a haunted castle, carve your own pumpkin or set out on a lamp-lit woodland walk

Like a local

Meals can roll on for hours in much of Italy, but the Genoese love a quick fix. Do as the locals do and grab a crispy slice of foccacia and finish it off with the best pralines in town

Isles of Scilly

Discover this archipelago with its fine food, balmy climate and picture-perfect beaches

DIFFICULT ADVENTURES, SIMPLY TOLD

A book for the child explorer in all of us, Alastair Humphreys’ Great Adventures brings inspiring tales to your coffee table

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR SAY?

Time’s running out to vote in our fourth annual Reader Awards. From travel personalities to tour operators, boutique hotels to big destinations, airlines to attractions, who’s got your vote? It’s time to get online, think back over the past year in travel and pick your winners.

TRAVEL GEEKS: RUSH HOUR

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER FOOD PRESENTS IMAGES: GETTY

LEEUWARDEN

Capital of the fiercely proud province of Friesland, the Dutch city is embracing its moment as one of this year’s European Capitals of Culture, with exhibitions, sculptures and cultural centres.

DREAM WORLD

There’s a pair of giant heads: a boy and a girl facing

FAROE ISLANDS

A young generation of chefs on this remote North Atlantic archipelago are creating strange and stunning dishes from the bountiful natural larder. Words: Audrey Gillan

TEL AVIV

Bold architecture, a laid-back attitude and sun-kissed beaches — Tel Aviv may sizzle at the edge of the Negev desert, but the Israeli city is Mediterranean cool personified. Words: Connor McGovern. Photographs: Sivan Askayo

MANHATTAN

Want to stay in Manhattan’s hippest hoods? From design digs in SoHo to oldworld glamour in NoMad, we’ve found you the best beds with benefits: rooftop pools, epic views, and free wine hours… Words: Nicola Trup & Pat Riddell

LIONS & TIGERS & BEARS

Meet the one -horned rhinos in the r emote realm of Assam, the elusive snow leopards in nor theast Ladakh and the B engal tigers in the R anthambore wilderness — Indi a’s resident wildlife is as v aried as the v ast subcontinent its elf. Grab your binoculars and head out on a saf ari with a dif ference

AGAINST ALL ODDS

JUST INLAND FROM THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD IS AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE THAT WINDS THROUGH AUSTRALIA’S WINE COUNTRY. HERE, DESPITE A LACK OF NATIVE GRAPES, LOW RAINFALL, STUBBORN SOIL AND THE THREAT OF FOREST FIRES, DETERMINED PIONEERS HAVE PAVED THE WAY FOR A NEW CROP OF SPIRITED WINEMAKERS WHO ARE TAKING THE WORLD OF VITICULTURE BY STORM

COULD YOU CROS S THE ANTARCT IC C IRCLE?

Brave the journey south to this frozen wilderness and you’ll find unclimbed peaks, place names like Exasperation Inlet and Danger Islands, and a British surveying base abandoned due to encroaching ice — all stark reminders that the Great White Continent is hostile to humans. But the hardships are worth enduring for the spectacular landscapes and wildlife

SWITZERLAND

Easy city living, spectacular backdrops and an outdoor lifestyle — welcome to Lucerne, Switzerland’s vibrant lakeside city that ticks along to a gentle rhythm at the foothills of Mount Pilatus

THE RULES OF THE RAIN FOREST

In Borneo’s Batang Ai National Park, the Iban tribe share their ancestral knowledge of the 140-million-year-old rainforest they call home — and help to track down its most famous inhabitant: the orangutan

TOKYO

Delving into the suburbs on a mission to eat with the locals reveals a way of life a world away from the neon-splashed chaos at the hypermodern heart of the metropolis

SANTIAGO

Santiago is shaking things up with a flux of funky new hangouts and downtown facelifts, but its foundation of boho barrios, dive bars and street food remains as solid as ever

ASK THE EXPERTS

NEED ADVICE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP? ARE YOU AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS, TIPS AND GUIDANCE? THE TRAVEL GEEKS HAVE THE ANSWERS…

WHAT THE PACKAGE TRAVEL DIRECTIVE MEANS FOR YOU

MORE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BECOME CLASSED AS ‘PACKAGES’ UNDER NEW EU LEGISLATION, OFFERING BETTER PROTECTION TO 120 MILLION CONSUMERS. WHAT DO THE RULES MEAN, AND ARE THERE LOOPHOLES?

TAKE A GAP YEAR AS A GROWN-UP

MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER ARE TAKING A YEAR OFF WORK LATER IN LIFE TO TRAVEL OR ARE PLANNING A GLOBETROTTING RETIREMENT. WE ASK THREE WOMEN WHO’VE DONE IT TO SHARE THEIR ADVICE ON WHERE TO START

MONEY TRAVELS

TECHNOLOGY REPORTER FOR.BBCCLICK AND AUTHOR OF WORKING THE CLOUD, KATE RUSSELL PICKS THE LATEST INNOVATIONS

FLIGHT COMPARISON SITES

THEY CAN SAVE YOU TIME ON YOUR SEARCH FOR THE IDEAL FLIGHT, BUT ARE AGGREGATORS WORTH USING?

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Pristine, sugar-white sands and azure seas aren’t a

TRAVEL WRITING COMPETITION 2018

BACK IN MARCH, WE ASKED OUR READERS TO SUBMIT A GREAT PIECE OF TRAVEL WRITING IN A BID TO DISCOVER THE VERY BEST UNTAPPED TALENT. WE’VE WHITTLED DOWN HUNDREDS OF ENTRIES TO THE TOP THREE COMPELLING TALES

UGANDA: SONGS FOR ELEPHANTS

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK, NIGHTLY SYMPHONIES ARE A NOVEL WAY OF KEEPING ELEPHANTS AT BAY

COSTA RICA: IN SEARCH OF THE QUETZAL

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THIS ELUSIVE BIRD DEEP IN THE CLOUD FOREST, YOU’LL NEED LUCK ON YOUR SIDE.

KYRGYZSTAN: A HAUNTING VISIT

DISCOVERING MIN-KUSH — A GHOST TOWN ONCE AT THE HEART OF THE SOVIET NUCLEAR PROGRAMME.

BIRD IS THE WORD

WITH WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS BOOMING, BIRDING IS GOING MAINSTREAM, AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR TO SPOT RARE SPECIES. IN MÁLAGA’S NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AN AVIAN MIGRATORY MOTORWAY HOSTS RECORD NUMBERS.

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